Engaging cultures other than that of the dominant English-speaking, European-tinged majority: this is seen as worth its own objective.

To foster cultural diversity within the unity of the Church

The bishops give a series of possible strategies to accomplish cultural engagement in context of evangelization.

serious review of diocesan policies about parish organization, leadership, and empowerment to ensure that newcomers to our land have a place in the Church;

training of clergy and ministers in needed foreign languages;

programs to advance greater understanding of cultural diversity;

efforts to help newcomers to our land to develop their own social and church structures (while ensuring the unity of the Church); and

joint celebrations of the many cultures represented in our parishes, especially on great feast days, to reflect the Catholic scope of our lives.

Expanding local traditions can be a difficult sell. People naturally, are attached to what has been done before. Perhaps with the flight of Catholics to the suburbs and the building of large parishes outside of city centers, this is more possible today than it would have been a century ago.

about Todd Flowerday

A Roman Catholic lay person, married (since 1996), with one adopted child (since 2001). I serve in worship and spiritual life in a midwestern university parish.

about John Donaghy

John is a lay missionary since 2007 with a parish in western Honduras. Before that he served in campus ministry and social justice ministry in Iowa. His ministry blog is http://hermanojuancito.blogspot.com

He also blogs reflections on the lectionary and saints/heroes/events of the date at http://walktheway.wordpress.com

He'll be a long-term contributor here analyzing the Latin American bishops' document from their 2007 Aparecida Conference.